Running to the Beat of the Hooves
by Bluejacketlover
Summary: ALL CHAPTERS REWRITTEN! Clary Fray is known as being one of the fastest runners and one of the most competitive equestrians. Jace Wayland is know for being a state champion bull rider and a world class flirt. When her family's ranch hand suddenly leaves, Jace and Clary's worlds collide and the two find out that love in the world of the toughest sport on dirt, is hard.
1. Chapter 1

**I rewrote the 10 chapters that I have already posted. I added more detail to some scenes, fixed grammar mistakes, plot holes, and deepened a lot of the relationships; especially Seb and Clary's. I felt like it was super shallow and I needed there to be more reason for Clary to build walls. Remember to review and follow!**

The sound of her feet slapping against the dirt road was all that Clary heard as she ran down the ditch bank a mile away from her house. Her heart slammed against her chest and her lungs burned for air as a grin widened across her face, sweat making its way from the base of her hair down her back. She loved the way her morning runs felt as they melted away the tiredness and in its place left a feeling of adrenaline.

Cows mooed in the distance and Clary pushed herself to her usually resting point. It was in front of a pasture that was exactly one mile away from her ranch, and in country terms was her family's closest neighbor. She sprinted the last hundred yards before stopping and resting on a fence post. _This training better pay off._ She thought to herself _in two weeks I will be a South Carolina's 1600 meter state champion._

"Damn," a voice said behind her, startling her from her thoughts. "I didn't know runners could be so hot." Clary whipped around to see a boy leaning against a fence post, a smirk plastered on his face. He had blond hair that curled out from his worn baseball cap and was wearing old work jeans with a t-shirt that was snug around his defined biceps. He was tall but not too tall, probably 5'10 or so. She rolled her eyes at the boy in front of her, though butterflies where hitting the walls of her stomach. Jace Wayland had just called her hot.

"You know," he continued walking towards her "a normal girl would have rushed towards me yelling out thanks or even showering me with kisses, when I called them hot. Not roll their eyes and ignore me."

She swallowed "Who says I'm normal?" she challenged putting her hands of her hips.

He rubbed his clean shaven chin in thoughtfulness, giving her a once over. "You know what, you're right Red, and you're not normal or even sane for that matter, because no sane person would wake up at 5 in the morning, every morning to run." As the sun rose higher in the sky the hints of gold in the hair that couldn't be controlled by his Huey hat became more prominent, making him seem to sparkle in a sort of way.

"How do you know I run here every day?" she asked suddenly feeling self-conscious.

"This is my property," he said shifting from one foot to the other as if bored of standing still "You stop at my barn every morning while I'm doing chores. Just because this is the first day that I have talked to you doesn't mean that it's the first time I've seen you in those tight little running shorts."

Clary flushed, blood rushing to her cheeks as she pulled down her Nike spandex, that at this very moment felt way too short to wear in the presence of other people; especially people like Jace who looks at girls like they were dessert. Her mind raced as she tried to connect the pieces. This was Stephen Herondale's property and for as long as she had lived here she had no idea that the towns golden boy also took up residence here.

"I can see the confusion on your cute little face Red," Jace drawled out "You see my mom and I moved in with my step father a few months ago. "

"Oh," was all she could say

A smirk crossed Jace's face. "You should probably get going Red." He said adjusting his hat "You never rest this long." He winked at her

"Yeah alright." She said stepping back. But she didn't move; she didn't know what to do exactly. The whole encounter was too much for her to comprehend.

"I'll see you around Red." Jace said. Clary started to correct him on her name but he had already turned around and was walking back towards the wheel barrow full of hay he had abandoned. She turned and began running again, continuing down the dirt road for another mile. Her head was reeling; how did he know who she was and why was this the first time he had ever talked to her. As she thought it over in her head a better question popped up, why did she care so much and why did she suddenly become a pile of nerves?

For as long as she could remember she was not the biggest fan of Jace Wayland. He was an arrogant, too popular for his own good bull rider that didn't care about anyone but himself. He went through girls like tissues and she has never witnessed him display any real emotion.

When she turned around to head home, she didn't stop at Jace's property as usually, even though her lungs and legs burned , she pushed though until she got to the beginning of long drive way and stopped gasping for air.

She was too busy trying to catch her breath and organize her thoughts about Jace to hear the truck pull up behind her.

"You okay Clary?" A voice, thick with a very attractive southern accent, called cutting the engine. She stood up instantly recognizing that voice and she tried to flatten her rogue fire red ponytail with her hand.

"Yeah Seb, I'm good thanks." She flashed a smile to the boy in the driver's seat of a black 1992 Chevy Silverado as the butterflies returned.

"Alright." Sebastian said with a nod "Why don't you hop on in here and I'll take you back to the house. We can start on those chores before your late to school again."

Clary's smiled spread wider "Sure," she said pulling the truck door open as Sebastian re-started the engine. Sebastian, or Seb as everyone called him, was tall and muscular, but in a less flashy way than Jace. His dark black hair was longer and flipped out from under his well loved baseball cap, his eyes where dark too but in a beautiful way. He had been working as a ranch hand for Clary's father since before his senior year and Clary's freshman year of high school. Sebastian has been a staple in Clary's life since she was young; her big brother Jonathon and Seb were as close as brothers. This consistency and an unfortunate run in with an ex-boyfriend has caused the two to grow closer and closer. Clary felt as though feelings that were no longer just friendly where becoming more prominent over time.

"I never understood why you insist on running four miles at this god awful time in the morning." Seb said interrupting Clary's thoughts.

"Because just working out at the track is not going to get me a state title and you know that. Also we don't have practice today something about giving us a break." She scoffed at her coaches words

"I don't know Clary, I've seen you run and you are damn fast and maybe a break would be good for you." He said looking over at her with a sparkle in his eye. He reached out and patted her knee supportively. Clary felt electricity shoot up her leg by his touch and by the look in Sebastian's eye she knew she wasn't the only one that felt it.

There was an awkward silence that fell between the pair as Sebastian pulled into his normal spot and Clary quickly jumped out. She jogged into the barn and grabbed a couple grain buckets taking them over to the large bag and began filling them, the sound of pellets falling into the bucket echoing throughout the barn

"Hey Seb," she yelled to him across the barn after a minute, the awkwardness melting away "Could you bring me over those last few buckets?"

She could hear him chuckle and saw him shake his head as he grabbed the two black rubber buckets laying on the grown next to the hay. "You know," he said when she was in ear shot "You could always just stack them together and bring them over at the same time."

"Oh what fun would that be? And miss making you walk them over to me every morning? I don't think so." She said teased as he handed her the empty buckets in exchange for a now full one. "Here, take this over to-"

"Rosie." Sebastian interrupted "Then you will feed Amber, and I will go grab the one for Victor and Lacy. And finally you will feed Maxx. I know how this works Clary. I help you every single morning." Though his words sound harsh, there was only teasing to his tone.

She smiled at him and picked up the bucket to take to Amber. Amber was a rescue that they had adopted about two years ago and now she is a lesson horse that teaches clients how to ride. "Hi baby girl," Clary said stepping into her stall and setting down the bucket. Amber let out a soft nicker as she walked towards the food. Clary rubbed her neck before stepping out, closing the door behind her and going over to grab Maxx's grain.

Maxx's head was already sticking out of the stall, happily awaiting his morning grain. He let out a long neigh when he saw her coming. Maxx was Clary's beautiful bay gelding that she showed throughout the different American Quarter Horse Shows in the south. He was 10 years old and Clary had had him since he was born. The two worked as a beautiful team and made all of the other competitors jealous when they walked into the arena. She set his grain in his stall and walked back to where Seb was beginning to fill the wheel barrow with hay.

"You're always done before I am." Clary cried walking back towards Sebastian who was standing near the hay stack in the corner of the barn.

"That's because I don't stand around and admire them for an hour before moving on the next animal." He winked at her as he unloaded a flake of hay into the wheel barrow. She rolled her eyes even though she knew it was true.

"Do you need any help?" she asked

"Could you grab me that pitch fork from over there?" he asked his back turned to her.

"Yeah," Clary jogged to the other side of the barn picking up a wooden pitch fork

"Thanks" he flashed a dazzling smile at her as he reached out to grab it. Their hands touched and once again a feeling of warmth shot up her arm, leaving her with what now felt like dozens of butterflies in her gut. Both Clary and Sebastian pulled back causing the pitch fork to fall in-between them.

"What was that?" Clary asked out of breath "You felt that right?"

Sebastian nodded but turned and busied himself with filling the wheel barrow "Clary, I think it would be best if you went and got ready." He said not looking at her

"What? Sebastian we need to talk-"

"No," a slight tremor filled his voice "Go get ready!" He snapped causing her to take a step back Sebastian was never one to raise his voice, especially not towards her. "Please." He said softly, still not looking at her.

Wordlessly Clary walked back to her house, her mind in a whirlwind. This wasn't the first time that she had felt something between them and she knew that he has felt it too. She was determined to get to the bottom of both of their feelings.

After a quick shower Clary changed into a pair of Jeans and a fitted t-shirt, the whole time her mind never leaving Sebastian. She blow dried her red hair into soft curls and added just a little bit of makeup. She smiled at her reflection and checked the time. "Shit," she cursed it was 7:25 and she was running late.

Grabbing her backpack she rushed down the stairs, wanting to have a minute to talk to Seb.

"Bye mom!" she yelled grabbing a banana from the fruit bowl and pulling on her boots before rushing out of the door. She jogged out to the barn praying that he would be more open to talk.

"Clary," he jumped when he heard her footsteps. He quickly shoved his phone into his back pocket, not making eye contact. "What's up?

"I really think that we need to talk about whatever it is that is between us, Seb. This isn't a new thing and you know it."

Sebastian swallowed hard, taking a step towards her. "You're right," he said "But it doesn't matter Clary."

"What do you mean, it doesn't matter?!" She asked outraged "I see the way you look at me when you think I don't notice." This was a conversation that was far overdue and it felt like a weight being lifted off her shoulders as the words fell out her mouth. Courage overcame her as she stepped forward and took his hand, her small one fitting perfectly in his rough calloused one. "I know you have feelings for me, just like I have feelings for you."

"Clare," he said glancing down at this clasped hands "Things are going to be different."

"What are you talking about Seb." She asked confused "Nothing is going to change, things will be better for us."

He gave her a sad smile and released her hand as he stepped towards her. Lifting his hands he cradled her face gently, his thumb brushing the corner of her mouth. She inhaled in surprise as his lips made contact with hers first lightly, as if testing the waters. She tensed out of shock before relaxing into the affection letting her eyes flutter closed and her hands intertwine into his hair, that was now free of his hat. The kiss deepened as Clary tried to push the warning bells that where going off in her head out of mind. Her skin felt like it was on fire as he slide his hand from her face to her hip pulling her closer. All of her senses where consumed by him; his scent, his touch until suddenly they were gone. Clary eyes flashed open at the lack of contact. Sebastian had put at least 8 feet between them and was breathing just as hard as she was. He lips looked slightly swollen and his eyes were closed as if he were unable to look at Clary.

"Sebastian," she murmured taking a step towards the dark haired boy "What was that."

"A mistake." He said opening his eyes. They were nearly black and had a hardness to them, something out of the normal for the boy who was often kind and gentle towards her.

"What?" she asked feeling as if the wind had been knocked out of her. "I'm sorry if I did something wrong." She reached across the space between then, touching his bicep softly. He looked painfully at her hand before gently pushing it off, making it fall back to Clary's side.

"I shouldn't have kissed you Clary." He said turning away "I'm sorry."

"Don't apologize Sebastian." She said anger replacing the warmth that she had felt when she kissed him. "Stop walking away from me! We need to talk about this."

"Good bye, Clary." He said the finality in his voice making her stop in her tracks. His eyes where filled with sadness as he picked up his discarded ball cap and walked away from her. She stood there for a beat, listening to the sound of her heart still pounding in her ears mixed with the echoing of the boy she loved cowboy boots retreating away from her. She staggered to her truck in a haze of confusion. _What the hell just happened?_ She thought as she got in her truck and started it. Putting it in reverse she thought of the way he smelt and how his lips felt against hers. She looked in her rear view mirror and saw that the curly haired boy was leaning against the door of the barn watching her go.

 **Hello! If you are a new reader thanks so much for giving this fic a shot! If you are a returning reader who is re-reading this for the new edits I hope you enjoyed the new Sebastian and Clary moments! I think it will add another layer of depth to the whole thing.**

 **Remember to comment and follow! I seriously love it when you comment!**


	2. Chapter 2

"So did you see Sebastian this morning?" Clary's best friend Isabelle teased from across the lunch table.

Clary blush "Yes," she said quietly

"Well..." Izzy edged on. Isabelle Lightwood was one of Clary's oldest friends. She had known her since preschool and they had always been attached at the hip. Isabelle and Clary couldn't have been more polar opposites though. While Clary had curly fiery hair, Isabelle's was jet black and sometimes was curly or sometimes straight depending on how Isabelle felt that day. She was tall and did the rodeo circuit during the summer as a Rodeo Queen. She tried showing horses like Clary when the two where in middle school but Isabelle shortly deemed it "boring with a lack of cute cowboys". Ever since then Isabelle had had a new title every summer.

"We kissed." Clary confessed stabbing a lukewarm tater tot with her plastic fork

"What?" Isabelle's asked nearly choking on the water she was drinking. Clary looked at her best friend and nodded. "How did that even happen?"

"I confronted him; about all the weird tension between us. He kept saying 'Everything is going to be different'. What do you think he is talking about?"

"Not a clue." Isabelle said lost in thought. "I guess things would be different if you two got together."

"But Izzy, I don't think that is what he was talking about. And when he said good bye to me, it was more than a just 'see you later' there was a kind of finality to it. What do you think that meant?" She paused expected her best friend to answer her but Izzy only offered a shrug. Clary rubbed her temple remembering the hurt that filled his dark eyes. Her head was throbbing from overanalyzing all day. "Why are boys so complicated?" Clary groaned as the bell rang ending lunch.

"You can say that again," Izzy laughed walking towards their locker. Clary's next class was English the class she had been dreading all day. She wasn't a bad student, in fact she was top of her class and was going to graduate with honors but this this was the one class that Jace was also in.

She grabbed her text book, closed her locker, and made her way slowly towards the classroom. She waved goodbye to Izzy, a sense of dread filling her entire body. As she entered the cramped white washed room she searched for a tousled head of gold hair, but game up empty. She settled into her desk, right as the bell rang releasing a breath she wasn't aware she was holding while her teacher, Ms. Blackthorn, began taking attendance. "Clary Fray" she yelled out "Here." Clary quickly responded. Mrs. Blackthorn continued down the list of student before calling out "Jace Wayland," but there was no response "Jace?" she called out again.

"Here," he said lazily walking into class. He was wearing dark blue wrangler jeans, with a clean evergreen t-shirt on that once again complimented his muscles nicely.

"Mr. Herondale, you are late again." Ms. Blackthorn scolded

"Sorry Ms. Blackthorn," he said making his accent thicker and his voice deeper "I apologize for any inconvenience and it won't happen again." He winked at her before sauntering to his seat in the back of the classroom.

Ms. Blackthorn blushed but tried to hide it by looking down at her papers. Clary wanted to throw up. No teenage boy should be able to have as much power as he does over women _. No wonder he thought he could act the way he did this morning._ She thought _He just bats his long sandy eye lashes and gets whatever he wants._

Her feeling of revolution dissipated as class went on and Ms. Blackthorn explained what the final was going to be on. The class had read a couple of novels over the semester and Clary had taken clear and detailed notes over all of them, so she felt good about how she was going to do. Finally after what seemed like a lifetime the final bell rang signaling the end of the period.

Clary gathered her stuff and began walking with the rest of the students to the door. As Clary neared the exit she was elbowed out of the way and ended up being smashed up against a book shelf. Snapping her head up, Clary planned on giving whoever it was a piece of her mind. Her eyes focused on the back of a certain blonde. "Jace," she cried following him down the hall. "Jace!" she yelled louder. He turned a confused look on his features.

"You know," she scolded both of her hands on her hips "you should watch where you're going."

"Should I now?" he raised an eyebrow questioningly. The pair where in a face off in the middle of the hallway, forcing other students to go around them like a boulder in the middle of a stream diverting the rushing waters either direction.

"Not like you care or anything," she said frustrated by his lack of concern "But you pushed me into a book shelf back there." Clary shot a thumb over her shoulder, motioning towards the class room that they had just vacated.

"Sorry," he said shrugging and turning away

"No way Mr." she cried walking after him "I am not one of those girls you can bat your eyelashes at and get whatever you want. I expect an apology." She grabbed his wrist pulling him around to face her.

"I mean I could apologize to you in that janitors closet right there is you want." He leaned down his breath against the shell of her ear "I am very persuasive when it comes to getting girls to forgive me."

"God," she cried stepping away from him, feeling herself blushing at his suggestive comment. "You are such a pig."

He laughed a boisterous laugh that filled the almost now empty hallway "You know Red you are cute when you're flustered and angry." He winked before turning and walking towards his next class.

The drive home from school was uneventful but Clary could feel butterflies fluttering around her stomach at the thought of seeing Sebastian again. She wanted to find out what he meant this morning.

Remembering what his lips felt like against hers there was a mix of excitement and nervousness that rushed through her, as she pulled her truck down the long driveway. When she finally got onto the main property, a pain of disappointment flooded her senses when she didn't see his truck parked next to the barn. _Dammit Dad! Of all the afternoons to give Seb off, you just had to give him this one._ But the disappointment was soon replaced with immense excitement when she saw her brother, Jonathan's, SUV.

She threw her truck into park and cut the engine quickly before leaping out and sprinting to her house. Jonathan attended Texas A and M university and this was the first time that Clary would see him since Christmas. When she threw open the door she saw he was standing in the kitchen. She ran quickly and tackled him into a bear hug. "Clare bear" he said squeezing her tightly "How have you been?" he asked releasing her but keeping her at his side.

"Better now!" she said smiling up at him. The two siblings had been best friends since Clary's freshman year and even though Jon had to move away for school, their bond grew even bigger.

"Are you ready for state track?" he asked as they walked out onto the back deck with a breathtaking view of a wide mountain range.

"Yeah. I'm just ready to smoke everyone." They laughed as he ruffled her hair affectionately. The two sat in comfortable silence for a minute just soaking in each other's presence.

"Have you seen Sebastian?" Clary asked after a little bit. Jonathan's jaw clenched quickly before his face smoothed back into his calm demeanor. "Yeah," he said quickly looking down at his shoes.

"Oh," she said "where is he, do you know?"

"No idea." He said looking at her with a half-smile that didn't quite meet his eyes.

"Is he going to be back for the family BBQ?" she asked sensing something more was going on. The Fray family was going to have a cook out to celebrate Jonathan's homecoming and Clary knew that Sebastian was planning on coming, or at least she thought he was.

"No." Jon said standing up and going to lean over the railing of the deck. "I don't think so." He swallowed hard his Adams apple bobbing up and down.

"Jon?" she asked standing up behind him "What's going on?" she asked. Her heart was slamming against her chest as the little voice that had been talking to her all day grew louder and louder. She knew that that goodbye meant something, and right now she is thinking it meant the polar opposite of what she wanted it do.

"Clary," he said softly turning around "He's gone."

"What?" she said just a little bit too loud. She suddenly felt like she had just been punched in the gut, all the air had been knocked out of her.

"He left."

"What do you mean he left?" she said sounding slightly hysterical and it was becoming harder to breath

"I mean like he packed up him stuff and is not coming back." Jon said

"Without telling me?" Clary questioned accusingly. Jon stretched out his arms in an attempt to pull Clary into an embrace. She backed away from him, her mind reeling. The day she thought that something was actually going to happen between them he leaves. How dare he kiss her like that and then leave without another word. Tears began burning the back of Clary's eyes as her vision becoming blurry.

"Where did he go?" Clary said in a small voice as she sat down and wrapped her arms around her middle.

"He got an offer to ride in the pro circuit this summer and it was an offer that he couldn't pass up. " Besides being a long term ranch hand and Clary's biggest crush, Sebastian Morgenstern was the top amateur bull rider in the country and had been looking for a pro deal for quite some time.

Anger filled Clary's small body "Why the hell didn't he tell me?"

"He said that he knew you would try to stop him."

"Of course I would try and stop him." She said as if it was the most obvious thing in the whole world. "He's going to get hurt! Professional bulls are so much more dangerous than armature stock." She cried tears rolling down her face.

"Clare," Jon said soothingly rubbing her back "I am so sorry. I know you two where close."

She cried for a few minutes because Jon didn't even know half of the truth to the words he has just said before nearly yelling "I'm calling him!" she stood quickly before Jon caught her hand turning her back around

"He asked me to tell you not to reach out. I guess he assumed that a clean break would be best." Clary felt as if her heart had shattered into a million pieces as she rushed into the house and up the stairs to her bedroom. She threw herself into her bed and sobbed into her pillow, her brother's words echoing in her head " _He packed up all his stuff and is not coming back."_

She pulled out her phone, her breath shallow and her nose running from the tears. With shaking fingers she dials Sebastian's number by heart. The dial tone rang in her ear as she held her breath. "Hey its Sebastian, sorry I missed your call. Leave a message and I'll get back to you." Sebastian voicemail echoed making her bile rise in her throat.

"Seb," she choked out tears streaming down her face "please don't do this. I'm sorry if I pushed my feelings on you. Just come home, we can talk this through. I don't know what I'm going to do without you." Clary was rambling now but she couldn't stop the words that came out. "Please Sebastian." She took a deep breath, realizing there was nothing else to say. Taking a deep breath she pulled the phone away from her ear and hit the red end button that was glaring at her from the screen. A sob racked through her as she realized he was truly gone, that he wasn't going to be around anymore. Her best friend had left without even a single word.

She looked at her phone again, pushing on Isabelle's contact. Bringing the phone to her ear yet again, she took a shaky breath trying to calm her emotions.

"Hey Clary! What's up?" Isabelle answered in a cheery voice.

"Izzy," Clary sniffled "I figured out what the good bye meant."

 **What do you guys think of the changes that I have added? Please don't forget to review. I love reading your thoughts.**

 **Thanks everyone! – Blue Jacket Lover**


	3. Chapter 3

**No this is not a false alarm, I actually am updating! Enjoy!**

Her eyes are sore and swollen as they fluttered open, the sound of her alarm blaring from her phone. For a few blissful seconds she had forgotten, forgotten that Sebastian had left for good and forgotten that she had no way of finding him. But as Clary became more awake it all came rushing back in a flood of painful memories. A pain in her chest shot through her and she let out a soft whimper.

 _"You have to get up,_ " the voice in the back of her head commanded " _he may be an asshole but that doesn't mean you can throw everything away."_ She took as deep breathing, realizing that the voice was right and that she had come too far for some stupid man to ruin it. Clary had gone from being sad and depressed to angry and betrayed overnight. Her blood was boiling as she changed her running clothes. Throwing her hair into a pony tail she grabbed her shoes and quietly made her way down stairs doing her best to forget about Sebastian.

Everyone was still asleep to Clary's relief. She didn't think that she could possibly face them, not yet. She hadn't seen any of her family since she had ran to her room last night, though both her mom and Jon had tried to get her up she wouldn't budge. Clary slipped on her shoes and stepped into the brisk morning air. She stretched for a few minutes before beginning the run down her driveway and towards Jace's house.

Clary prayed that the blonde boy would not try to talk to her again. The last thing she needed was another male trying to play with her head. Clary ran hard and fast trying to clear her mind of everything that had happened within the last twenty four hours. The pain in her chest had lessened to a dull ache but her legs burned as adrenaline pulsed through her. She didn't think, didn't feel, just ran. Her breathing was rushing in and out and she had gotten into a smooth rhythm when she heard feet running beside her.

Quickly she looked and a flash of anger rushed through her. Jace was dressed in athletic shorts and a bro tank with tennis shoes and he was keeping up with her pace like it was nothing.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Clary asked between breaths

"I feel like it's pretty obvious what I'm doing." Jace said with a smirk "I'm joining you for your morning run."

"I don't want to run with you." She said harshly. She didn't care how moody or rude she sounded. The last thing she wanted was for a boy who thought he ran the world to ruin her morning run.

"Ouch, Red that hurts."

"My name is not Red." Clary shouted abruptly stopping "My name is Clary and I would appreciate if you called me that."

Jace turned, having stopped a few paces in front of Clary. "I know what your name is." He said with less sarcasm in his voice than before "We have English together, remember?"

She rolled her eyes and continued running. "Why do you insist on ruining my run?"

Jace paused for a second before responding "Well honestly I thought my company would be appreciated." He said as they came to a stop at Clary's normal turn around spot

"Jace, have you ever seen my run with anyone else?" she questioned her irritation increasing with ever step.

"Umm no I guess not."

"And there's a reason for that. I don't run with my dog and I certainly don't run with other people." She said turning back down the canal road.

"Well than think of this as me getting in shape for rodeo season." He said not faltering at Clary's sour mood.

She rolled her eyes but didn't say anything and the two ran side by side silently until they reached Jace's fence. Clary stopped for a second to catch her breath at the post.

"See you later" Jace said turning to walk towards his house. He was half way down his drive way when he turned and called "Hey Clary. I'm sorry I shoved you into that book shelf. That was a really jack ass move." His voice was more sincere than Clary had ever heard it. "I'll make it up today."

She was too shocked at his apology to reply as he sauntered back to his house. Jace's company, though not entirely welcomed, had kept Clary's mind off of the Sebastian situation. She bit the inside of her lip as the pain in her chest returned. As Clary finished out the last part of her morning run her mind continued to drift back to the blonde boy. Butterflies filled her stomach as she wondered what he meant by his parting remarks.

"Damn," Jonathan said looking down at the list that Clary and her dad had made for him "Sebastian sure did a hell of a lot around here."

"Yep," Clary said hiking her back pack up higher on her shoulder. The two had fed the horses together, but it had taken them longer because of Jonathan's relearning curve. "When I get home, I'll try and help but I have test's to study for and I have track practice after school, so it will be close to six before I get home. I also need to get some time on Maxx if we have any chance of doing well at the show next weekend."

"Alright," John said taking one more look at the list before stuffing it in his pocket and walking with Clary towards her truck.

"You remember how to lunge the horse's in the round pin?" Clary asked

"Yep."

"And all of the tack is in the tack room if you want to work Victor a little harder. He gets bored just sitting in his stall all day and mom hasn't really had to time to work with him. The keys to the 4 Wheeler are on the hook by the front-"

"Clary," Jon interrupted "It's going to be okay. This ranch is not going to fall apart because you lost a ranch hand. I promise."

Clary took a deep breath "Yeah you're right."

"Are you okay?" Johnathan asked gently

Clary looked down at her boots. She felt a little bit better after her run but it was like something was missing. When she rounded into the drive way she expected Seb's truck to be there but it wasn't. She missed his voice echoing from the barn as he chatted with the horses while he fed or groomed them. Sebastian was a part of her heart and her family's ranch and Clary was afraid that that hole would never be filled. "I'm… okay." She said softly.

"Okay," Jon said unsure "Everything will be okay. Clare I promise." Clary nodded softly, her brother's words comforting her. "Well you better go before you are late." He said motioning her towards the vehicle.

"Right." She said swinging into her truck. "Bye!" she said as she started the engine.

"See you later!" he called walking back towards the barn.

"So he just left?" Isabelle asked leaning up against a locker close to Clary. Clary shot a look to Isabelle that said "Shut up". It seemed that Isabelle had asked Clary that a thousand times today.

"I'm sorry," Isabelle said "it's just… wow. Crazy I don't even know." Isabelle said as she looked down at her nails.

"I know." Clary said shaking her head as she slammed her locker shut and turned to walk towards English. "I just keep trying to tell myself that everything will be okay." It was Clary's mantra for the day; every time she would think about him or feel like she was going to lose it in the middle of class she would just repeat it over and over again.

"It will be Clary," Isabelle said. They walked up the stairs and towards their classes, idly chatting about the day.

"Hey Clary!" a voice said from behind them. Clary flushed automatically knowing who the voice was. Isabelle looked at her questioningly before they both turned around.

Jace was standing behind them, wearing dark jeans and a button down shirt with the sleeves rolled to his elbows. He looked kind of awkward but tried to cover it with a smirk.

"Hey Jace," Clary said slightly unsure. She admired his will to right his wrong from yesterday but questioned why in the middle of the hall, when they were both going to be late for English. "What's up?" she asked

"I thought I would walk you to class?" he said it more like a question than a statement.

Clary looked at Isabelle for guidance. "I'll see you at practice." Isabelle said winking. She turned with a flip of her hair and a wave at Jace. Clary let out a long breath before saying "You really don't have to Jace."

"But I want to," he said grabbing the book from her arm "Remember I'm making up for my jackassedness."

"Not a word," Clary corrected as they walked towards their English class "But an A for effort."

"YES! My first A!" Clary let out a laugh as Jace held the door for her. She sat down in her normal seat and expected Jace to just drop off her book and go to the back, but he plopped down in the seat next to her.

"What are you doing?" she asked suspiciously

"Can't I sit next to my running partner?" he asked with a smirk

"Yeah but not to sound rude, but I'm here to learn; not flirt with the teacher."

"Well than maybe it'll with be a good change for me." He said pulling out a notebook and a pencil.

"You ran with him?" Isabelle asked in shock as she and Clary walked around the track for the last time before practice was over. "Clary, you don't run with people!" Isabelle said outraged

"I know, Izzy! It's not like I invited him! He just kind of showed up in tennis shoes and a tank top that showed all of his muscles."

"He's gorgeous." Isabelle said sighing dreamily

"I know!" Clay said chewing on her lip.

"But you don't need boys right now!" Isabelle said popping out of her dreamland "You have state in 3 days and then that local show. Plus you are definitely not in an emotionally stable enough state of mind to be dating McDreamy right now."

Clary sighed in frustration "Okay Izzy first of all, that was the worst pep talk of all times, and secondly please for the love of everything pure and wonderful stop quoting Grey's Anatomy."

"Well it's a great show," Izzy said laughing but not denying her obsession. The two laughed together and chatted more as they stretched out.

"So who's handling the entire work load at the ranch?" Isabelle asked as they walked towards the parking lot.

"Johnathan," Clary said his name in an exasperated tone "And when I gave him the list of everything that Seb did, he seemed way over his head. I know he's been away at college but now is not the time to be teaching him everything again.."

"Maybe you should hire someone." Isabelle said

"Like who?"

"Honestly I have no idea," Isabelle said and Clary scoffed "But I will keep my ears open for anyone looking for a job."

"That would be really great, Izzy. Thank you!" Clary said as she threw her stuff into the passenger side, but a strange feeling of regret passed through her. Clary wasn't sure if she could handle going home. Everyday after school she would help Sebastian with any left over chores, a time that she looked forward to. Her heart hurt thinking about the fact that Sebastian wouldn't be there to greet here. "I'll see you tomorrow." She said half heartedly towards her brunette friend.

"Okay," Izzy said pulling Clary a hug "Call me if you need anything." She said tenderly. Clary gave her a sad smile before getting into her truck speeding out of the parking lot towards home.

George Straight blared through her speakers as she drummed her fingers against her steering wheel and pulled into her drive way, the idea of all of the chores and homework she had to do running through her mind. As she pulled into the main part of her property she saw her brother running with a lead rope and halter in his hand. "What the hell?" Clary said throwing her truck into neutral and shutting off the engine. She threw the door open and jumped out. Clary immediately spotted Victor running away from Johnathan and towards the grassy pasture.

"Shit," she said walking towards her brother. "Jonathan!" she yelled "Stop running your just going to spook him." Jonathan stopped and turned a look of defeat in his eyes. Clary met him and watched Victor, who had found a nice patch of grass to munch on.

"What happened? Clary asked no judgement in her voice.

"I was out helping dad grab a calf so we could vaccinate it and when I came back; freaking black beauty here was running amock."

She laughed under her breath shaking her head "You didn't lunge him today, did you?"

"No," John said his shoulders sagging "I just got busy. I barely got half of the stuff on the stupid list done before Dad needed help."

"He needs to be lunged every day," Clary said grabbing the halter and walking towards her horse "He gets bored just sitting in his stall. I told you that. I know it is a lot to do but-"

"Clary," John interrupted "I think we need to hire another ranch hand. Dad and Mom agree. I can't handle all of this for one day let alone for any extended period of time."

"I know." Clary said quietly leading a now content Victor towards the barn, Isabelle's words had been echoing through her head since she left the school.

"Seb did the work of three guys and I may be a hell of a football player but I'm not half the worker he was."

A pain that had all but disappeared at school today shot back threw Clary's chest at the mention of Sebastian's work ethic.

"I have some friends who are interested." John said "I'm going to call them up, later tonight."

Clary nodded hanging up Victor's halter. She knew that her family needed to extra hand but she was scared that it would be the whole Sebastian ordeal all over again. "Don't promise any jobs." She said "I want to see who you all are thinking about, before you hire them."

"Okay" Jon said touching her arm "Everything is going to be okay."

She took a deep breath; nodding " _Everything will be okay."_ she repeated to herself " _Everything will be okay."_

 **Don't forget to comment and review!**


	4. Chapter 4

The feeling of Maxx loping under her and the wind blowing in her hair was one of Clary's favorite feelings. She sat deep into her saddle and squeezed her legs signaling the big bay horse to stop. He obeyed promptly, and the two were still within seconds. "Good boy," she said patting him on the neck before clicking for him to move forward.

"You look good Clary," her mother said leaning up against the railing of the exercise pen. Jocelyn Fray was a beautiful woman, who had long dark red hair and a slender body. She wore her hair in a long braid tucked under a ball cap, with work jeans and a tank top; the freckles on her shoulders slowly disappearing due to her long hours in the sun, though it was only the beginning of May. "How are you doing?"

"Good," Clary said stopping next to her "Mr. Maxx is doing well today. I was just about to cool him off. "

"No sweet heart," Jocelyn said quietly "How are you doing?" there was an underlying meaning to the women's words which she picked up on instantly. She knew she was referring to Sebastian basically disappearing.

"Did you know that he was leaving? Did Dad?" Clary asked in a quite voice. The pain in her chest returning with a vengeance.

Jocelyn swallowed hard before replying "I didn't know when it was going to happen, but I knew he was leaving yes."

A ball formed in Clary's throat as she did another lap around the round pen. "and Dad?"

"He was the one who helped him get the pro contract."

Clary felt sick to her stomach as anger became to come to the surface. "And neither of you thought to tell me? To tell me that the man that I-" she stopped herself before the word love toppled out of her mouth "that someone I cared for was leaving."

"Clary, he asked us not to. We were just obeying his wishes. He thought it would be better, that you wouldn't understand why he was leaving."

"He thought that this would be better?" she nearly shouted as she dismounted Maxx. "That it is better that I can't stop thinking about him? That I don't sleep because I'm worried where he is? That I feel like breaking down every moment because I miss him more than words can describe. He thought that would be better." She flung the gate of the pen open allowing the metal to crash against metal with a bang.

"Clary-" Jocelyn started reaching out for her daughter as she led the big bay horse out of arena.

"Don't." Clary spat out as tear burned her eyes threatening to spill over. "It's better this way." Tears spilled down her face as she brought Maxx into the barn, leaving her mom bewildered outside. _"How dare they keep that from me."_ She thought fury raging through her as she began unsaddling Maxx. Though the moment her and Sebastian had shared was only a few days ago it felt like years since the moment that his lips had touched her. A sob broke out of her chest at the memory. She has never felt this hurt or betrayed before. Clary wanted to scream, punch, or kick something or someone to be specific but she didn't. Instead she broke down, collapsing into a ball against the nearest stall door. Clary cried so hard she couldn't breathe sobs racking her entire body. She was so lost in her own pit of despair that she didn't hear the footsteps that were approaching.

"Clary?" a voice echoed laced with concern.

Her head shot up a feeling of embarrassment shooting through her. That feeling only intensified when she saw who has caught her at one of the her most vulnerable moment.

"Jace," she said standing quickly and wiping away her tears. Though she had seen Jace everyday this week it was jarring to seem the golden boy in her own barn. There is a big difference between seeing someone when you run or as they walked to you class and seeing someone in your personal space. "What are you doing here?"

"My step dad need to borrow something from your dad." He said dismissively before stepping closer to the small red head "Are you okay?"

In that moment Clary could have laugh in his face for asking her that. She turned quickly though, attempting to stop the tears that were still falling. "I'm fine." She whispered busying herself with brushing out Maxx.

"You're a horrible liar." Jace said taking another step forward, this time taking the brush out of Clary's shaking hand. "What is going on."

For a split second Clary considered telling Jace everything, but she soon squashed that thought taking a deep breath. "Nothing," she said as calmly as she could "I'm fine really."

Jace's eyes narrowed as he searched her pale face for answers. There was a beat of silence as the two teenagers challenged each other. "I don't believe you." He said extended the brush back towards the girl "But I won't push it." Clary silently thanked him as a feeling of relief rushed over her.

"But," Jace said reaching out towards Clary. "If you ever want to talk about it, you know where I live." Taking his thumb he lightly brushed away a stray tear that was still on Clary's cheek. His rough hand a stark contrast to Clary's soft face. She sucked in a breath at the contact, butterflies instantly filling her stomach. Jace dropped his hand and after a moment turned before exiting the barn.

Clary collapsed against Maxx as she released a breathe she wasn't aware she was holding. Her cheeks flushed as Jace's concerned face flashed behind her now closed eyelids. She has never seen Jace care for anyone like that before. She willed herself to calm down as she untied Maxx's lead line and took him back to his stall, all while replaying the scene between her and Jace.

Clary had been futilely been trying to study for her Spanish final for nearly 2 hours, yet she couldn't seem to focus long enough. Finally after missing the same flashcard 3 times in a row she gave up with a hefty sigh. Her mind would not stop returning back to the thought of Jace and the kindness he had shown her earlier that day. It was the first time in a few days that she didn't feel a stabbing pain in her chest, rather she felt a sort of excitement. Clary couldn't deny Jace's attractiveness but before his awful personality and arrogance had been a total turn off. This was a new side of Jace that she has never seen before and though she was wary of it, in a way it truly peeked her interest. Because of Sebastian and Jonathan's incessant protection, Clary was not very skilled in the boy department. She was positive that Jace was flirting with her but she wasn't sure how she felt about that. The last thing she needed right now was Jace messing with her head, especially after the Sebastian incident.

The next morning Clary slowly jogged down the dirt road, a wave of familiarity washing over her and keeping the butterfly's that plagued her insides at bay for the time being. State was only a few days away and this was Clary's last morning run before the big meet but the flying circus that was happening in her stomach weren't from nerves surrounding her upcoming competition. Yesterday was the first time that she has ever seen Jace care about anyone but himself, without expecting something in return. Clary was anxious to see whether his niceness was just a façade or if he truly cared about her. The redhead approached her new found acquaintance's house as an entire swarm of butterflies began fluttering inside of her again." _So much for those being gone, "she_ thought to herself.

She took a deep breath as she searched for any sign of the golden boy, but there was nothing. Jace wasn't jogging up the driveway with an impish grin plastered on his face or already standing by his mail box stretching like an Olympic runner did before a big race, flexing his biceps for extra measure.

For a quick moment Clary thought about stopping and waiting for him but she pushed that thought away as quickly as it came. " _You ran without his for years Clary."_ She thought to herself " _get a grip, women. What happened to swearing off boys all together?" She_ picked up pace a little bit, checking over her shoulder once to see if there was any sign of movement, but there was nothing.

The bell rang signaling the beginning of the school day as Clary pulled up in her beat up Chevy. She cursed under her breath as she leaped out and ran towards the school awkwardly trying to keep her backpack from bouncing on her back. Heaving the heavy entrance doors open, she slowly walked to the main office to get her tardy slip. This would be her 5th tardy of the semester and she promised to give Jonathan a piece of her mind when she got home that afternoon.

After her run, she thought she would just be able to get ready and get to school, possibly with a few minutes to spare; maybe to catch up with Isabelle or casually look for Jace. But Jonathan had different plans. He claimed that he was coming down with something and that he wouldn't be able to do much that morning, when in fact Clary knew that by "coming down with something" Jon meant he had a massive hangover from the party he was at the previous night. This left Clary with all of the morning chores to do and get ready for school in 45 minutes, which proved impossible. After the chores where complete she waltzed into the house boiling mad when she spotted Jonathan on the couch nursing a Gatorade.

It took everything inside of her not to scream at her older brother when he smirked at her around his bottled while he was wrapped in a blanket, lying on the couch. Clary stormed up to her room and grabbed a clean shirt and capris not caring what she looked like. This was Clary's breaking point and the final card that needed to be played for Clary to seriously begin looking for more help. She loved her older brother with everything inside of her but she knew he didn't come home to work and that he would do anything in his power to get out of the heavy lifting, even if it meant lying to his family and acting sick for a few days.

Clary shook her head, trying to clear it as she went to her locker to exchange her books. Her stomach twisted into a knot as her mind returned back to Jace, something that seemed to be an ongoing trend this morning _._ She took a deep breath frustrated with herself. Why would she even consider letting another boy into her life after the hell that Sebastian had put her through. Clary rubbed her temple as she walked towards her 1 period class, a headache beginning to form from the constant over analyzing that she was doing.

It was almost English and Clary had yet to seen Jace, even in passing. The bell rang causing the mass of students still loitering in the hall from lunch to scatter, a chorus of complaints and good byes being heard. Still scanning the faces of the passing students she stood for a moment longer where Jace would usually meet her to walk to English. As disappointment coursed through her Clary reluctantly turned making her way towards her next class.

"Clary!" a deep voice called from behind her making her stop mid-step. Soft jogging steps where heard until they stopped next to her. Clary turned, instantly recognizing the blonde haired boy, but her breath caught in her throat when she saw him. A mix of black, purple, and blue underlined his piercing gold eyes along with a gash across his nose that was being help together with butterfly bandages.

"Oh my god Jace, what the hell happened. Did you get into a fight?" Her voice raised a few octaves and she instinctively went to softly touch the boys' wounds, but his strong grip caught her wrist and he gently shook his head, telling her silently that touching it would just cause him more pain. She blushed, pulling away quickly, scolding herself for being so impulsive.

He laughed softly, brushing his hand through his hair casually. "You should see the other guy."

Clary let out an audible gasp "I'm just kidding," he said quickly "I caught a horn in the face yesterday, when I was riding some practice bulls."

"Oh my god!" she cried "Are you okay?" The question brought back the memory of Jace asking the same thing a few days ago.

"Yeah, my mom forced me go to the doctor," he said rolling his eyes dramatically "that's why I missed our run this morning. Sorry about that by the way. " He said a glint in his eye that Clary couldn't quite place. She felt an emotion that she couldn't quiet pinpoint when he apologized for miss their run.

"You weren't going to go to the doctor?" she asked outraged

He shrugged nonchalantly "I didn't even need to go anyways nothings even broken. I should be healed in a couple of weeks. Just in time for my first rodeo of the season. That is if I even ride." He said the last part in frustration.

"Why wouldn't you?" she asked as the two started back down to the hallway.

"My parents say that I have to be able to pay my entry fees and right now I don't have any way to make that much money." He sighed shaking his head and subconsciously running his large hands there is long wavy hair. She noticed that he did that when he was nervous or uncomfortable.

She bit her bottom lip in thought. Since Jonathan was obviously too lazy to do anything she really needed some help around the ranch and Jace looked like he could handle physical labor, what with his broad shoulders and toned arms. Clary took a deep breath wondering if she would regret the words she was about to utter "Well, my dad's looking for another hand around the ranch, if you would be interested."

He stopped beside her "Really?" He asked astonished.

"I guess so," she said laughing softly "I mean I would have to talk to my dad but I'm almost positive that the job is yours."

"Wow," he said pulling her into a deep embrace "You just saved me Clary. Thank you so much!" She smiled feeling surprisingly comfortable in his strong arms.

 **So I'm actually in love with this chapter. What do you all think?**


	5. Chapter 5

"You did what?!" Isabelle shrieked stopping mid-step and putting her hands on her hips.

"Offered him a job?" Clary repeated confused. The girls had decided to do a couple of laps around the track after school and on their last time around Clary told Isabelle about the events that unfolded before English.

"Clary, honey." The brunette said in a sad voice "why did you offer him the job?"

"I told you, he needed money and I need help."

"No," Isabelle said touching her friends shoulder softly "the real reason." The sound of passing cars from the road near the track filled the silence that lapsed between the two friends.

"That is the real reason?!"

"Are you sure you didn't give it to him, because maybe you are starting to have feelings for him?" These words hit a cord in Clary and she looked at the ground moving a rock around with the toe of her tennis shoe.

"Oh sweetheart," Isabelle said solemnly "the whole incident with Sebastian just happened and you cannot tell me you are over him."

A pain shot through Clary and tears began blurring her vision, but she did her best to push them back. She had been trying not to think about Sebastian for the last couple of days and now everything that she had been pushing down was coming to the surface. "No, I'm not Isabelle. Not even a little bit." Clary said desperation clear in her voice. The intimate moment that her and Jace has shared in the barn had caused Clary to be confused about her feelings towards Jace.

"You need to heal from that before you can even think about anything with Jace, Clary."

"You're right Izzy," Clary pulled her into a hug "I don't know what I would do without you."

"If we are being honest you would probably being doing something with Jace." She laughed wiggling her eye browns suggestively. "Come on let's get the hell out of this place."

"Agreed." The red head followed her friend a hundred yards to the fence that separated the track from the rest of the school's property.

"So what do I do Iz?" Clary asked when their cars came into view, parked in the school parking lot "Do I say 'Oh Jace, sorry to get your hopes up, but that job isn't actually a thing.'" Just thinking about saying those words make Clary's stomach turn.

"No, no you can't say that." Izzy said "You made this mess Clare and you are going to have to deal with it. He is going to work for you. My advice would be pray."

Clary rolled her eyes that her best friends not so helpful advice. "Clary," Isabelle said as they stopped at their vehicles "He's going to be at your house all the time. He's going to try and flirt and break down your barriers, but you can't let him. I know that Jace is a charmer and seems like someone that you can trust and fall in love with, but he's not."

"Just the other day you were talking about how cute he was though."

"Yeah but I wasn't talking about a relationship, just how attractive he is. Next time you see him, you need to set up some ground rules. I know you and your like the queen of mixed messages." Isabelle looked down at her phone as it buzzed, sighing. "I have to go, but I'll see you tomorrow. 12 o'clock sharp don't be late."

"Okay, I'll try." Clary uneasily chuckled knowing how she ran late to everything

Isabelle opened her car door, grabbing the keys from the front seat. "Wait, Izzy." Clary said hastily, worrying her bottom lip knowing that Isabelle was no going to like her next words. "What do I do when he comes over tonight to talk to my dad?"

A shocked expression went over the beautiful girls tan face. "Like I said, I'd pray."

"No way in hell." Jonathan exclaimed "Jace Herondale is not working here. Not after what happened with Sebastian."

"Look I know better-"Clary sighed not believing her own words completely

"Have you ever met his older brother?" Johnathan said outraged putting his cup down on the table with a little too much force, causing water to spill over the rim. "He is the biggest womanizer and if Jace is anything like him you won't be coming within a 10 mile radius of him." Clary rolled her eyes even though she knew the truth behind her brother's words. Will Herondale was a bigger flirt than Jace, though he is Sebastian and Johnathan's age she still heard stories of him, some good and some just plain awful.

"I think it's a great idea." A voice said from the living room causing both Johnathan and Clary's head to snap towards the sofa. Clary's dad, technically stepdad, Luke stood from where he was sitting after a long day of work. Jon and Clary's real father had died in a car accident before Clary was born and when Jon was only 3. Luke and her father Valentine had been the best of friends and soon Jocelyn and Luke's relationship grew into something much more than platonic making Luke the only father that Clary and Jon had ever known. He was a tall man with dark hair and striking eyes. "We need help around here Jonathon and you know it." He said walking past the two towards the front door.

"But-"Jon started outraged

"You said he would be here for dinner right baby girl," he hollered over his shoulder cutting off his son as he pulled on his worn cowboy boots.

"Mhm," Clary said gauging Jon's expression as he grew more frustrated

"Well then I look forward to it." The conversation ended with Jon groaning in frustration and their father closing the door with a bang.

"Thank you again for the opportunity Mr. Garroway," Jace said rising from his spot on the sofa. Clary was busying herself with the dishes, scrubbing a pan that had been clean for a while. She kept her eyes on the task at hand. All night she had been avoiding the families new ranch hand, doing her best to try and keep as much distance between them as possible. Clary honestly couldn't have been more relieved that this evening was coming to an end.

"It's my pleasure," she heard her father say. Out of the corner of her eye she saw the two men exchange a firm hand shake. "I'll let you know on a starting date after I talk to the wife, but I would assume it would be some time within the next couple of days."

"That sounds like a plan to me." He said resting his hands by his side. There was a long drawn out silence between the two men before Clary's father once again spoke.

"Clary, sweetheart." He said getting the attention of his daughter. "Why don't you go show Jace around the property before he heads out?"

Clary's throat went dry as her fathers words. "Oh I'm in the middle of doing the dishes." She said praying that would be a good enough excuse.

"Non sense," Jocelyne said coming up from behind her, "I can do those."

Clary let out of a frustrated sigh before rinsing off her hands "Thanks mom," she said as evenly as possible. She had done her best to stay away from Jace and now she was forced to be his tour guide for the evening. She slid on her boots before turning towards the blonde boy. "Ready when you are."

"This is amazing." Jace said standing beside Clary behind the barn. The two had finished there tour and Clary was showing Jace her favorite part of the property, the expansive view of the Rocky Mountains that could be seen.

"Isn't," she said doing her best to keep a fair amount of space between them without making it obvious.

"Yeah," he said turning to face her. The setting sun picked up the gold color of his long hair making Clary's hands itch for a pencil and a pad of paper. "I really appreciate you talking to your dad."

"Step dad." She said softly "Not that it's a big deal." She wasn't completely sure why she pointed that fact out, very few people knew that Luke wasn't her real father.

"Oh? I'm sorry I didn't know." He replied softly blushing from embarrassment.

"It's not a big deal. My real dad passed before I was born."

Jace paused before softly saying "There is a lot more to you than was meets the eye Clary Fray."

It was Clary's turn to blush as Jace took a step forward, the space between them slowly diminishing.

"I can't wait to get to know you even better." Jace's voice was low as he said those words.

Clary didn't say anything as she ran the toe of her boot through the gravel, watching the pebbles move in every direction.

"Hey sweet cheeks," Jace said using his pointer finger to lift her face up. His golden eyes burned into her emerald ones "Don't act like that. You and I would be great together."

Izzy's words from earlier echoed through her head as she turned her face making Jace drop his hand. "Look you are here to do a job, Jace. That's it. Nothing more and certainly nothing less, so I would appreciate it if we kept our relationship," she paused searching for the word "strictly professional."

"Strictly professional," he echoed eyebrows raised

"Yes." She bit her lip having nothing else to say

"Well darling," his accent suddenly becoming thicker, a tactic he used in the past to seduce women "I'm not sure I can do that."

"Then you're out of a job," she said sharply putting even more space in between them "no flirting or touching or anything else. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am," Jace said eyes wide

"Good. I guess I will see you around." She said as she walked around him towards her house

"Good luck at your meet tomorrow!" he yelled after her before slamming his truck door and revving the engine.

She cursed him as butterfly's erupted in her stomach "Dammit Jace Wayland, you're going to be the death of me."


	6. Chapter 6

The sun warmed Clary's room as it came through her slightly open curtains. She rubbed her eyes, her mind hazy from sleep. She smiled as she remembered that today was the day that she had been preparing for all year. Butterfly's slammed against the inside of her stomach as she threw her sheets back and put her unruly, red hair into a high bun. Opening the door she could smell coffee wafting up from the kitchen, though the thought of eating made her feel like she was going to throw up.

She trotted down the stairs; the sound of male voices hitting her ears, peaking her interest. As she rounded the corner into the kitchen she saw Jace standing next to Jon holding a mug of hot coffee in his hand. His golden hair shined in the morning light. He wore a white t-shirt that had been cut into a tank top their school mascot, a Bangle Tiger, prominent on the front. It was obvious that his jeans were well loved with their light blue wash. A Copenhagen ring had been indented into his right back pocket, a staple with the men in their town.

"Jace?" she questioned surprised to see their new ranch hand so bright and early.

"Morning sleeping beauty," he said smirking there was softness to his voice, only sarcasm. "you were asleep so I did your chores." She glanced at the time that was displayed in small lights on her microwave. The display flashed back at her, almost as to taunt her; 9:30am. A blush flamed through her cheeks, embarrassment washing over her at the fact that she slept in for so long.

"Sorry," she mumbled pushing past him to grab her protein shake bottle.

"Don't worry. You can pay me back another day." He said wiggling his eyebrows suggestively. She rolled her eyes trying to cover her sudden self-consciousness. She pulled down her too short spandex, not letting out the breath she was holding, until Jon and Jace walked back outside to work with Luke.

"Are you ready for this?" Isabelle asked Clary, who was stretching next to the brunette.

"Yep," Clary said popping up, shaking her arms bouncing up and down on the balls of her feet.

"And you've done your visualizations?" Clary's coach asked from behind the two girls

"Oh yeah," Clary cheered laughing "I envisioned myself smoking all of those other girls butts."

Her coach shook his head smiling "Don't come out of the gait to fast Clary. Keep your pace. The mile is a long run." The announcer called Clary's event over the loud speaker.

"You're going to do great," Izzy said hugging the red head. Clary jogged towards the track with the rest of the girls running the mile. She set herself up in the 3rd lane, crouched down and set her feet on the blocks. She took a deep breath waiting for the sound of the starter gun to go off.

"BANG!" It's sound broke through the air. Clary pushed hard off of her blocks, starting the race in the middle of the pack. She blocked out the sound of the other girls around her breathing and cleats slapping against the hard black track. As she finished her first lap she had gained some places and was now in third. She knew she was fast, but the other girls were faster and she was starting to psych herself out as she came to the half way point of her second lap. Her legs started to burn as the 3rd lap came upon them. She pushed forward becoming number two in the pack. She held her position through the entire 3rd lap, her legs and lungs burning even more.

Finally they were in the fourth lap and Clary knew that she couldn't hold back anymore. She had raced the current first place girl before and knew that they had very equal ability. She pushed herself forward trying to pass the girl ahead of her. Her opponent gained speed also not allowing Clary to pass as they rounded the last curve of the oval shaped track. Clary dug deep as the finish line neared. She pumped her arms, willing herself to move faster. She closed her eyes putting every ounce of determination and energy that she had in herself into making her legs go faster than they ever had.

Clary didn't open her eyes until she heard Izzy screaming. Her eyes snapped open looking up at the score board. Her school name shone brightly in lights in the first place position. She had done it. She was the South Carolina state champion in the one mile. Izzy ran towards her grabbing her in a tight hug, squealing. The rest of her team ran onto the track, everyone in a group hug jumping and screaming. Pride swelled through her body as she pulled out of the group to walk out her muscles and catch her breath.

( **AN: I don't run unless something is chasing me so if this wasn't realistic *shrugs* sorry.)**

She walked towards the bleachers, searching for her family. Her eyes stopped searching when they landed on a tall boy, his back was towards her and he was wearing a worn baseball cap. Her breath caught in her throat as she jogged towards him, one name running continuously through her head. "Sebastian." Clary felt like she was in a dream. He was back, she thought feeling giddy.

"Clary!" her brother said popping up from where he was sitting by the boy "You did so good!" he ran towards he pulling her in an embrace and twirling her in the air.

"Is Seb-?" she started pushing away from her brother. The boy turned towards the brother and sister and the red heads heart dropped to her feet in disappointment as she was met with gold eyes instead of green.

"Jace?" she asked anger bubbling up inside of her. His hat had covered up his golden hair and he was wearing different clothes than he was when she saw him earlier.

"Dang Clary!" he said smiling "All of the training finally paid off."

"What are you doing here?" Clary snapped. She felt an overwhelming sense of anger at the fact that Jace was there. "Aren't you supposed to be at work?"

Confusion washed over the face of young boy. "I just-"he started, rubbing the back of his neck uncomfortably.

"It's your first day on the ranch Jace. Do you really think that you should be taking time off?"

Jace's face morphed from confusion to outrage. Shaking his head he moved past her his should slamming against her.

"By the way Clary," he yelled over his shoulder "You only won because first place stumbled right before the finish line. " Jace turned furious the sound of gravel crunching under his cowboy boots loud in Clary's ears.

"What the hell Clary?" Jon asked

"I-I," she stuttered feeling her eyes burn with tears. Clary was so disappointed and hurt that Sebastian wasn't there that she took it out on Jace for no reason. "I really screwed up didn't I?" she whispered. She heard the screeching of Jace's tires as he peeled out of the parking lot. Jon pulled Clary into a hug, saying nothing, as her tears spilled out.

Clary pulled up to her house, the feeling of dread filling her stomach. She didn't feel like she had just won the most competitive track event in the state, she felt more like she had been hit by a truck. She parked next to Jace's big black Dodge, cutting the engine, grabbing her bag and her trophy. She quickly put her stuff in the house before taking a deep breath and walking out to the barn, where Jace was bucking hay.

"Hey Jace," she said looking up at him on the top on the hay stack. He had taken off his shirt, his skin glistening with sweat, pieces of hay stuck to his arms. He looked at Clary before going back to stacking hay.

"Jace," she said walking slowly closer to the hay as if she was walking towards a wild animal. "I owe you an apology." Jace scoffed grabbing the pitch fork like a javelin and throwing it down into a pile of hay on the ground, its prongs sticking in the roughage with ease. He hopped down from the top of stack. "I don't have time Clary. Remember first day of the job." He mocked brushing past her

"Look Jace," she followed after him desperately "I thought you were someone else before you turned around." A familiar pain went through Clary's chest at the thought of Sebastian.

"Sorry to disappoint," he snapped grabbing a broom and hopping into the back of the white Chevy truck that they had brought all of the hay in with. He swept the back out with more aggression that needed, he jaw clenching and unclenching.

"It was really uncalled for. Me talking to you like that." She said beginning to get frustrated with his lack of interest in the apology. This went a lot more smoothly when she was rehearsing it in the truck.

"You're right, Clary." Was all he said in response as he swept the last bit of hay out of the back of the truck.

"I'm really sorry Jace. I know that you were just there to support me and-"

"Look Clary," Jace said jumping out of the truck and walking towards her, broom still in hand. "If  
I'm going to work with you then there needs to be an understanding that I'm not out to get you. I don't want to have to walk on egg shells around you because we hate each other."

"I don't hate you Jace."

"Could have fooled me." He bit back sarcastically

Clary rolled her eyes crossing her arms in front of her defensively.

"I really think that we could be good friends." Jace said after a moment his voice softer no hit of any innuendos.

"What are you proposing Jace Wayland?" she questioned, eyebrows raised.

"Come to the drive in with me." He said it more as a demand than a question "on Sunday. It's the day after graduation. Think of it as a celebration of the end of high school and to new beginnings."

"I'm not going on a date with you." She said turning

"Not a date," he said grabbing her arm turning her back towards him "just two friends hanging out."

She took deep breath uncertain. "Come on Clary! You owe me!"

"Fine." She said hesitantly

"Great!" he said smiling "It's a date."

Clary glared at him instantly "Or not," he laughed back tracking "either way it's gonna be fun."

The red head shook her head as she walking back towards the house wondering what the hell she had just gotten herself into.

 **I hope you all enjoyed this chapter, because I had tons of fun writing it! I didn't get a lot of reviews on the last chapter, I really appreciate those of you who did review though!**

 **Till next time! – Blue Jacket Lover**


	7. Chapter 7

"You are not going on date with Jace Wayland!" Jonathon yelled spit unflatteringly flying out of his mouth

"You're right," Clary said running the mascara wand through her lashes one last time "I'm not going on a date with Jace. I'm going to the Drive In with him. We are just going to watch movies and hangout." She smiled at him and she pushed him out of the way so she could get out of the bathroom.

"I don't feel good about this." Jon continued following her to her bedroom

"That's too bad, because he will be here in 5 minutes." Clary stopped in front of her full length mirror to look at her reflection. She was wearing a pair of jeans and a light pink colored top. She had pulled her hair into a high pony tail leaving a few pieces framing her face. She grabbed her cowboy boots from her boot rack that was by her door and trotted down stairs. Butterfly's danced through her stomach as she pulled on her boots one at a time. Though she kept telling herself that this wasn't a date she still felt nervous about the whole ordeal. Jace was the biggest play boy in the whole world and she didn't know how he was going to act.

"Your date is here!" Jocelyn called from the kitchen "Oh I mean Jace is here." She laughed to herself at her joke.

"Goodbye mom." Clary said kissing Jocelyn's cheek

"Be good sweetheart and be home by 1."

"Will do!" she hollered over her shoulder as she grabbed her brown leather purse from the hook by the door

Clary walked out to see Jonathon sternly talking to an uncomfortable looking Jace "…better treat her good or I swear to God I-"

"Whoa Whoa Whoa," she said walking a little faster towards the boys "Down boy," she said to Jon giving his a stern look "I told you earlier. Nothing to worry about. Come on Jace, let's go." She gave Jon a little bit of a push as she walked around Jace's truck to the passenger side.

"I'm sorry about that," she said when the two were in the truck. Clary was surprised by how neat it was. The interior was completely leather without a scratch or a piece of dusk anywhere.

"No need to apologize. I tried to explain to him that it wasn't a date but he wasn't listening and continued with the "You touch my little sister I'm going to kill you speech." Jace chuckled uncomfortably as he pulled out of the drive way. The two sat in slightly awkward silence before Clary broke it.

"Are you excited that school is over?"

"Hell yes," he hollered

"Me too." She laughed at his excitement. "What are you going to do next year?"

"Probably just find some work and continue rodeoing." He said with a shrug, his left hand on the steering wheel in right elbow casually resting on the middle console.

"No college?" she asked glancing over at him.

"No, I'm not exactly what you would call a higher education type of guy."

"You wouldn't even go for the parties and endless girls?" she asked nudging him.

The pair stopped at one of the only stop lights in their small town. "Contrary to popular belief I'm not the party type." He said before turning at look at Clary "and I've got all the girls I need right here in this truck."

Clary blushed an unattractive red color before looking down at her hands. Jace chuckled sensing her embarrassment as the light turned green and the pair continued down the road. After a moment of silence Jace continued the light conversation.

"Do you miss it?"

"Miss what?" Clary replied confused

"Rodeo, I mean it was a big part of your life for a really long time wasn't it?

"Yeah," she said thoughtfully "it was a great time in my life, but it's over now. I mean that was a really long time ago. My dad stopped riding bulls when I was 8 years old and Jon never really got into it."

"Did that bother Luke?"

"That Jon never got into rodeo?" Jace nodded his head "I don't think so. I mean he got really into football, not like that is any safer, but it is paying for his college right now so there's not much anyone can complain about."

"I guess that's true." Jace said as they pulled up to the drive through movies. They stopped the truck at the small building where they paid for their tickets. A young girl that Clary remembered from school sat in booth. "Hey Jace," she cooed when she saw him. "Just one?" she asked batting her fake eyelashes.

"Nope," he said "Two." A confused look flashed across the young girls face before Clary leaned forward in her seat with a small wave. The girl sighed tearing off two tickets and exchanging them for the money that Jace was handing her. "Have fun," she mumbled before closing the window

"Wow," Clary said

"What?"

"That was pathetic."

"Who Lacy? She's harmless."

"She may be harmless but she was drooling before she saw me."

Jace laughed a boisterous laugh that made Clary's stomach flip. "Like I said she's nothing to worry about." He said winking at Clary

Clary smiled softly at his thinking about the way his laugh made her feel as Jace backed the truck so that the bed was facing towards the big screen. He cut the engine before turning to her.

"So usually when I bring girls here I just put blankets in the back But when I do that I usually am on a date and we don't do very much movie watching."

She rolled her eyes at him feeling a little bit disgusted.

"This time though. I packed two lawn chairs that we will set up in the back, with some blankets. It'll be great."

"Alright that sounds like a plan." She said hopping out of the truck.

"You know Clary," he said when they were pulling the camp chairs out of their bags. "we could get rid of these and just go with the blankets and see what happens." He wiggled his eyebrows smirking.

"Jace," she said warningly

"It was worth a shot." He said shrugging and plopping down in his chair

"What movies are playing?" she asked. The air was a brisk for the end of May and she rubbed her arms

"Ummm I think Fate of the Furious and Wonder Woman maybe." He said "Are you cold?" he asked concern lacing his voice.

"I'm good," she said smiling. A small gust of wind blew through the lot causing her to shiver.

"We really need to work on your lying skills." The comment brought back the memory of their moment in the barn. Clary felt the dull ache return back to her chest as she thought about how angry and hurt she was that day. "Here." Jace said pulling Clary out of her thoughts. He handed her his dark green sweatshirt.

"But you're going to get cold." She said without taking it "I'll just grab a blanket from the truck it's really no big deal."

"Take the sweatshirt Clary. Plus I've been told that it's way more comfortable than any blanket."

She sighed defeated. Her senses where over whelmed by the smell of Jace as she pulled on the sweatshirt. "Do you want to go get some popcorn?" Jace asked standing and stretching, his dark blue shirt lifted to reveal his chiseled stomach. Clary felt a blush run through her cheeks as she averted her eyes. "Sure!" she said her mouth drooling at the thought of warm movie theatre popcorn. When she stood, Jace's too big sweatshirt feels past her butt. The sleeves completely engulfed her arms and hands. She looked at Jace helplessly before they both started laughing uncontrollably.

"Come here." Jace said between laughs. He grabbed Clary's right arm clumsily rolling up her sleeve so that her hands were useable- as if she were a child. The pair was no longer laughing as Jace grabbed her other hand and rolled up the sweatshirt. "there you go," he said softly swallowing hard. Neither of the teenagers moved, subconsciously worried to burst the bubble that they had built for themselves.

Clary was the first one to pop it stepping back and clearing her throat. "So how about that popcorn." She said smiling up at Jace

"Sounds like a plan." He hopped off of the tail gait offering Clary his hand.

"Madam," he said attempting a British accent. His think South Carolina accent came through too much though making him sound plain funny.

"Why thank you." Clary said taking his hand and hopping, not so gracefully, off of the tailgate.

They pair broke their connection at the hands and walked side by side to the concession booth.

"Can I please get a Large Coke and a Large popcorn?" he asked the woman behind the counter "and what do you want Clare?" he asked suddenly regretted letting the nickname that her family call her slip.

"I'll get it," she said shaking her head, oblivious to the slip of tongue. Jace's eyebrows shot up in surprise. "No I don't think so. I pride myself in being a gentleman and a gentleman never lets a woman pay."

Clary opened her mouth to object before she was interrupted by the lady behind the counter "Sweetheart if a young man wants to pay for you. Let him pay." She looked between the woman and Jace before sighing in defeat "fine," she said "a pretzel and a medium coke."

"No popcorn?" Jace asked munching on his large bag.

"I'll just munch on yours." She smiled sweetly and winking before grabbing her concessions and heading out the door. She heard him chuckle as they walked back towards the truck. The movie was just beginning to start when the pair got back to the truck, and got snuggled up under one of the blankets that Jace brought. They had moved the chair close together to accommodate the blanket sharing and Clary could feel Jace's leg bump against hers every time he moved.

"Clary," Jace asked after a few minutes of the movie "Can I ask you something?"

"Sure," she turned her attention to the blonde

"Who did you think I was at the track meet?"

Clary worried her bottom lip the same dull pain that was now associated with Sebastian's name come back for the second time that night. "Our old ranch hand." She said quietly. Jace looked at her confused questions running through his head. "He left a couple of weeks ago just out of the blue, I thought…" she took a deep breath running her hand through her ponytail "I don't know I thought he was back." Tears started coming up in her eyes.

"He was the one you were crying about the other day too?" Jace asked placing his large hand on hers. Clary didn't say anything, but nodded softly turning her attention back to the racing cars. Jace saw a single tear run down Clary's face. It took everything in Jace not to reach out and wipe it away like he did last time he saw her cry. He had never felt this way about any girl, the need to ensure that nothing ever hurt them. A sort of fear rose up deep inside of him, the idea that he might be falling for her was terrifying.

Clary and Jace walked side by side towards the restrooms on the other side of the parking lot in-between the two movies. Clary had taken on Jace's sweatshirt after getting to hot under the blankets, though she regretted it now.

"What did you think of The Fate of the Furious?" Jace asked avoiding a pair of running children with flashing light toys

"It was pretty good" She said smiling over at him

"Hey!" voices hollered from a truck they were walking by. The two's heads snapped towards the obnoxious voice. Three boys, most likely the same age as Jace and Clary, stumbled into the path that they were walking in. "Jace!" one of them yelled

"Do you know them?" Clary asked stepping closer into Jace's side

"Unfortunately, I rodeo with them." He said softly

"What are you doing here?" the biggest of the three boys asked. He had close shaven brown hair and was about the same size as Jace. "Who is this fine looking thing?" he asked dragging his eyes over Clary's body.

"This is Clary, my boss's daughter." Jace said clenching his hands by his side. The group of boys were obviously extremely intoxicated, the smell of alcohol nearly making Jace's eyes water.

"Oooo atta boy Jace, screwing the bosses daughter." The boy lifted his hand for a high five but lowered it when he saw that it wasn't welcome.

"Oh no!" Clary said quickly "we are just friends." She took a step away from Jace.

"Oh? Well then, I've been looking for a sweet thing like you." The brown haired boy stepped closer to Clary. She tensed feeling bile rise in her throat "I'm Cody by the way." He said slipping his arm around her. The smell of Copenhagen and Alcohol came off of him in waves. Her gaze snapped to Jace who had a look of fury in his eyes.

"Get your hands off of her." He said the tone of his voice putting a sense of fear in Clary. She tried to squirm out of the intoxicated man's grip but his hand only got tighter on her hip.

"She's not your girlfriend Wayland."

"I said get your hands off." Jace pushed Cody back hard causing his grip to fall off of the red headed girl. Clary took 3 steps back, the feeling of his arm still on her. Her eyes burned with unshed tears as her heart pounded.

"What the hell Wayland?" Cody said pushing Jace back with equal force

"Never put your hands on anyone I care about ever again. Do you understand?"

"A girl with a body like that would never want to be with a guy like you. Oh the things I would do to- "he never finished what he was saying, though Clary's imagination filled in the blanks. Jace pulled back his arm, slamming his fist into the side of Cody's face. A slew of words that would have made a sailor blush came from Cody whose face was now bleeding. He punched Jace, though with less force. Clary was glued to her stop unsure of what to do. It was like watching a car accident everything was happening to quickly, she could barely process it. Cody punched Jace is the stomach, forcing him to double over. He punched the blonde again in the nose, blood spewing onto the rocks.

"Is that all you got you son of a bitch?" Cody sneered

With an animalistic roar Jace lunged at Cody pinning him to the ground and began punching him without mercy. The gash on his face, from the bulls horn, had been reopened and was bleeding profusely. Cody's body was beginning to go limp under the blonde boy. Clary heard shouting from the distance.

"Jace," she yelled panicked. He didn't seem to hear her as he continued to punch Cody. She set her hand on his rigid back "Jace, you need to stop." he pulled his arm back preparing for yet another punch. Without thinking Clary grabbed Jace's bicep, causing him to whip around, ready to fight whoever was holding him back. He was breathing hard and blood was smeared across his face. It was nothing though compared to Cody.

"Jace we have to go," she said grabbing his hand and pulling him off of the barely conscious boy.

"Clary," Jace mumbled. She was dragging him as fast as she could back towards the truck. "Jace if they see what you did to him you could go to jail." She said closing the tail gate and pushing the chairs down so that they were laying in the bed and wouldn't blow out.

"Clary." Jace said once again but louder this time. She ignored him trying to gather up the blankets that were still in the back of the bed

"Clary," he said urgently grabbing her arm and turning her to face him. "Are you okay?" he searched her body for any sign of damage his eyes running crazy.

"It doesn't matter," she said shoving his keys in his hand "We have to get out of here."

 **Honestly this is my favorite chapter so far.**

 **Let me know what you think!**


	8. Chapter 8

**Last chapter one of Jace's rodeo buddies tried to cop a feel with Clary so Jace beat the crap out of him. You know the normal stuff that happens when two 'friends' go to the drive in movies.**

The pair jumped into the truck wordlessly. Clary's hands where shaking as she buckled her seat belt, the adrenaline that had caused her to literally pull Jace off of the other boy wearing off, leaving a mix of confusion, fear, and anxiety in its place. Jace peeled out of the gravel lot, sending pebbles spraying behind him. Clary glanced over at his hand that was clenching the steering wheel. His knuckles where red with blood though Clary was unsure how much was his and how much was Cody's. The thought made her anxiety heighten as she bit her bottom lip, tears burning behind her eyes.

"Clary?" Jace asked when they were on the main road "Are you okay?"

She looked out her window watching the dark night fly past her. "Clary, you're worrying me." Jace tried again. The young boy waited a beat "Please don't ignore me Clary." The redhead squeezed her eyes shut in an attempt to control the tears that were surfacing at the pleading sound of Jace's voice. She wasn't mad at Jace for what happened, scared yes but not mad. She had never been in a situation that had escalated so quickly with no warning. One second she was walking with Jace then the next second he basically was smashing in the face of a guy she had never met before. The whole situation made her head spin.

She opened her eyes when she felt the truck's speed decreasing as Jace pulled them over on the edge of the road. "Clary," he said softly as he put the truck into park "I am so sorry." The sound of defeat that was in his voice caused Clary's gaze to break from her window to look at the young boy next to him. The sight of Jace made Clary gasp. The dark red blood that smeared across his face was visible even though the only lights in the cab where from the dash. The gash on his face had reopened and bled profusely. The dark red liquid ran from the top of his cheekbone down his face and onto his neck. He also must have gotten hit in the nose as there was dry blood surrounding his nose some mixing with the blood from his cheek. "Jace," she whispered reaching out to touch the cheek not matted with the liquid.

"You should see the other guy." He halfheartedly replied leaning into the girl's hand "Are you okay Clary?" she wordlessly nodded "I'm not talking physically Clare."

She swallowed hard before letting herself shake her head slightly. Jace let out a string of cuss words before undoing his seatbelt and pulling Clary into an embrace. "I'm never going to be able to forgive myself Clary," he said into her hair

"Why did you do it Jace," she whispered pulling away from him a single tear sliding down her cheek "Why when he let me go why didn't you just walk away?"

A muscle twitched under the Carmel colored skin of his jaw. "I never let anything happen to people I care about Clary. I just can't believe that I let him put his hand on you." He dug the heels of his palms into his eyes.

"You have to promise me something Jace" Clary's voice was stronger now

"Anything," Jace whispered looking up his golden eyes burning into hers

"Next time you won't him get so many hits in. You look like hell."

Jace chuckled shaking his head. "I'll work on that." Clary grabbed a blanket from the back seat. "Do you have any water?"

"Check your floorboard," Jace said reaching up and turning on the overhead light "there should be a bottle." Clary undid her seatbelt and bent over. Sure enough there was a half empty bottle of _Dasani_ water lying at her feet. She poured a little bit onto a corner of the blanket. "We are not going anywhere until you don't look like a prop from a horror movie." She turned to him and started gently wiping away the dried blood coating his sharp features. The bright lights showed that no bruising had started to appear around his eyes, meaning that he most likely did not break his nose.

Clary worked wordlessly doing her best not to touch the cut on Jace's face. She could feel his breath on her wrist causing her heart rate to speed up slightly. "This blanket might be ruined," she said after a second shaking her head "I mean you could try some Hydrogen Peroxide on it but it might be toast."

Jace laughed shaking his head.

"What?" Clary asked suddenly self-conscious. She continued wiping the golden boys face, this time working around his nose.

"We are sitting on the side of the highway at midnight after I just got in a fight because a guy tried grabbing you and you're worried about the fact that the blood you are wiping off my face will ruin the blanket."

Clary flushed avoiding Jace's gaze. He smiled at her knowing that he had made a very accurate point.

"Alright," she said putting the blanket back in the back seat "I think I got most of it. The cut has started scabbing over, so as long as you don't go on anymore dates and try to prove you are alpha than you should be good."

"Oh Clary," he whined starting up the engine and turning off the overhead light "You really take the fun out of everything." He smiled at her before pulling back onto the highway. Clary moved back to the passenger side of the truck pulling her knees up to her chest. After a minute she shivered the cold that she felt at the drive in movie theatre returning.

"Come here," Jace said extending his right arm "My heater isn't the best but I guarantee it's warmer over here."

Clary worried her bottom lip before throwing caution to the wind. " _What the hell."_ She thought moving towards Jace. He wrapped his arm around her comfortably. She sighed contently realizing that it was in fact warmer next to Jace. Clary could feel her eyes becoming tired with sleep, the sound of Jace's tires on the road a soft lullaby pulling her towards sleep before she finally gave into its pull allowing herself to sink into the darkness.

"Clary, sweetheart " Jace whispered "You're home." Clary's eyes fluttered open confused for a split second by why Jace was next to her. Her mind fog soon lifted though allowing the nights memories to wash over her. Pulled his arm away from her, he opened the door and stepped out before walking around to the passenger side, opening Clary's door. She slid across the bench seat still a little drowsy, grabbing Jace's hand for balance when she jumped out.

"Thank you," Jace said when they were almost to her front door "For cleaning up my face and not yelling at me, even though I definitely deserved it." She gave him a soft smile feeling awkward about the whole thing. "I am really sorry," he said "I hope that all of this doesn't put our friendship back."

"Don't worry Jace," Clary said "We are closer friends than we were a couple of days ago."

"Then I would call that a success. "Jace said "Goodnight Clary."

"Goodnight." She watched as Jace, the boy that she couldn't stand a few days ago but who turned into her knight and shining armor, walk back to his truck.

Clary allowed her thoughts to wonder to what would have happened if Jace hadn't been there. She shuddered at the thought as she pushing the door open to a dark house. She hung her purse up a on the hook and walked up the stairs to her room. The young girl pulled out her phone, dialing Izzy's number from memory. As she waited for her friend to answer she inspected her appearance in the mirror.

"Hello?" a sleepy sounding Isabelle answered

"Izzy?" Clary said worrying her bottom lip; turning away from the mirror "I think I was just on a date with Jace Herondale."

 **I love this so much ahhhhhhh. If you love this also please review! I don't get any reviews on this story and its super discouraging. See you next time lovelies 3**


	9. Chapter 9

**Jace POV**

Gravel crunched under his tires as Jace pulled into the driveway of Clary's house. His head throbbed as he cut the engine next to the barn door. He caught his reflection in the rear view mirror, his left eye was black and blue something that had developed over night. The cut that had almost healed on his face was tender once again.

He took a deep breath unbuckling his seat belt but not getting out. He had gotten little sleep after dropping Clary off last night, worried what it would be like today. Would she be mad at him or would she understand.

Jace wanted to slam his hand against his steering wheel, scream and yell at the thought of how he put her is danger yesterday. How he lost control. He had never done anything like that before. Jace was the cool calm and collected golden boy. He had never let his emotions get the best of him before and that terrified him. He had known Clary for only a few weeks and he didn't even know her very well. Why was she affecting him so much? Finally he pushed the door open and stepped out letting the warm may air wash over him. Walking to the barn he kicked a rock, the question still burning in the back of his head.

Jace heard rustling in the barn, automatically assuming that it was the girl driving him crazy. "Clary," he began stepping into the dark barn. He wanted to get everything out of his system before he lost the courage. "About last night, look I'm sorry. I should have never let things get out of control like they did. I-"

"What are you talking about?" Jon interrupted leaning against the broom he had been using. Jace's head snapped up causing his headache to worsen.

"Uhhh" he stuttered his cheeks blushing a furious red. "You're not Clary." He said dumbly

"Obviously not. What happened last night Jace?" Jon's eyes narrowed as his voice grew more intense.

"Where is she?" Jace asked trying to side step the question. He knew that if he told Jon his life could end right there in the barn.

"A horse show."

 _God_ Jace thought _. I should have figured when the trailer was missing._

"I'm not going to ask again Herondale. What happened last night?"

Jace took a deep breath before answering "there was a fight"

"A fight? What kind of fight?" Jon asked too calmly

"A fight between me and another guy."

"Over what? Clary?"

Jace swallowed his Adams apply bobbing up and down "something like that."

"What does that mean?"

Jace pushed a rock around with the toe of his cowboy boot, too ashamed to look the older boy in the eye. "He grabbed her."

"Who grabbed her Jace? I'm sick of this tell me what the hell happened." Jon snapped letting the broom handle fall the ground.

"We were walking to the bathroom and this guy got mouthy and put his hands on her. So I pushed him off and then he punched me."

"You let someone put his hands on my baby sister?!" Jon roared his voice echoing throughout the barn "Do you know what could have happened to her Jace!? Do you know if you weren't there what this guy could have done?!"

"Of course I know!" The golden boy screamed, his voice was loud enough to ring his own ears but he didn't care as blood pumped through his body "Do you honestly think I'm dumb enough to not realize that she could have been hurt. That the girl I promised to protect last night was put into danger because of me."

"I can't believe this." Jon fought back "How could you let this happen?!"

"I don't know" Jace cried "but what I do know Jon is that I almost killed the guy that did this. That your sister had to pull my sorry ass off of him because he was unconscious."

There was a pause as that information sunk in. "Jon," Jace said softly "I don't know what happened. I pushed her away from the situation and then it was like my brain turned off. All I could think about was pounding his face in for even thinking about doing that to Clary."

Jon didn't say anything for a while, making Jace think that the conversation was over. He walked towards the nearest stall to start picking up the grain buckets.

"She's not ready." Jon said having now picked up the broom but not continuing to sweep.

"What?" Jace asked stopping in front of the big, wooden stall door.

"Clary isn't ready for a relationship Jace. I don't know what she has told you but it's going to be a while before she trusts another guy." Jace's mind went back to the conversation that they had about their last ranch hand.

"I respect that Jon. I have never ever felt this close to a girl in my whole life and to be a hundred percent honest it terrifies me."

"That's a lot coming from a guy that gets of thousand pound bulls every week." John laughed

Jace chuckled shaking his head "yeah I guess it is."

 **I know this isn't very long but I wanted the development of Jon and Jace's relationship to stand on it's own. What did you guys think? I honestly love Jace.**


	10. Chapter 10

As Clary finished taking out the tail extension from Maxx's tail, leaving his dark colored hair much less voluminous than before, she could feel herself being watched. It made the hair on the back of her neck stand up, giving her de-javu of when Sebastian would watch her brush out one of the horses when he thought she wasn't paying attention.

"You know Jace," she said not looking up from where she had been working. "It's rude to stare." She smirked as she heard him push himself off of the wall he had been leaning on and walk towards her.

"I was not staring. Jace Wayland doesn't stare."

She rolled her eyes smiling, taking the extension to the tack room and returning with two thick bristled body brushes. "Here." She said handing him one of the brushes. "You do one side. And I'll do the other."

He nodded taking the brush and walking around Maxx who was contently munching on a bucket of grain. The pair worked in silence for a moment Jace tense wondering what Clary was thinking.

"Damn Jace," she said after a moment "you should be more careful who you hang around I've heard there's a tough crowd running around the drive in theatre."

He looked up sharply to see Clary smirking up at him. "You think your real funny don't you?" He questioned raising an eyebrow.

"I try." She laughed continuing to brush out the now sleepy Maxx.

"How did the show go?" Jace asked after a moment glad that the elephant in the room had been addressed.

"Pretty good. We got 3rd in western riding and then 2nd in show jumping. Not bad for our first spring show."

"That's great, Clary." He smiled at her over Maxx, though he could barely see her because of her height, before walking around to her. He grabbed the brush from her hand feeling a weird electricity run between them as their hands brushed each other. Clary pulled her hand back quickly looking down abruptly, inspecting her boots quizzically. Jace turn and put them in the tack room, feeling small butterflies flutter in the pit of his stomach.

"I would love to come watch you sometime."

"Oh yeah?" She asked. Now it was her turn to feel the butterflies in her stomach. Her family was the only one who had ever come watch her show before besides Sebastian who seemed to be her number one fan.

"Yeah." He said smiling "only if you come watch me ride bulls some time."

"Sounds like you've got yourself a deal." She laughed smiling.

"Get up we are going to town." The sound of Jace's loud, demanding voice broke Clary's focus on the book for had been reading causing her to jump with a start.

"What?" She asked annoyed

"I'm going into town to run some errands for your dad and I want you to come."

"I'm kinda busy. Thanks though." She said hoping that he would leave her alone so she could go back to her book. Though the idea that Jace wanted to spend time with her made butterflies flutter through her the fictious love story she was reading was much more enticing.

"You're reading Clary. That's like the most boring thing you could possibly do." Jace groaned taking a step into her bedroom. The small room in contrast to his large frame made him appear impossibly large. The sun hit his hair at just the right angle making the gold stand out that much more from the blonde.

She raised her eyebrows her annoyance growing. "Just because you can't read doesn't mean you should hate on it." She teased smirking

"Oh I can read. I just chose to do better things like run errands with pretty girls."

Clary blushed at his complement.

"What's in it for me?" She challenged putting the bookmark in her place

"We can go to lunch."

"Where?" her eyes narrowed as her interest was piqued with the mention of food.

"Dairy Queen." He answered smiling knowing that she was going to go with him. Over the last couple of weeks the pair had been spending quite a bit of time together, whether they were working outside or running errands around town; as the weeks had gone by Jace had found out about Clary's love for the fast food restaurant.

"I hate you." She groaned getting off her bed. He smiled in victory and turned to exit the small room.

"So Clary," Jace fidgeted with a french fry in his hand as he bounced his leg rhythmically under the sticky restaurant table. The pair had stopped at the local farm supply store to pick up grain and a few rolls of wire fence that Luke had ordered to fix one of the fences on the property. They now sat comfortably in a corner booth that had become their usual spot. Clary took a bite of her ice cream savoring the coolness on her tongue. "I'm riding tomorrow night in Laytonville and I was wondering if you wanted to come and watch." Clary could see him visibly chewing on the inside of his cheek, anxious for her answer.

"I don't know Jace." She sighed "I have a totally jam packed schedule tomorrow."

"Oh no yeah I get it." He agreed quickly, a look of disappointment flashing across his features. "Don't worry Clary. It's not even-"

"I was joking." She interrupted popping a fry in her mouth smirking flirtatiously. The pair had reached some sort of a new normal in the past few weeks; which included a lot of flirtatious banter, something Clary had gotten a lot better at. When she tried to flirt with Sebastian it would come out choppy and immature but she could tease Jace until the sun went down. This new normal made Sebastian feel almost like a distant memory though there were still times when his abandonment hurt but for the most time Jace was able to keep that pain at bay.

"I knew that." He mumbled shaking his head and looking down, trying to hide a blush as he wiped his hands on his blue jeans.

"What time should I be there?"

"I can pick you up." Jace replied "I mean if you're okay with that." There was still a tinge of nervousness that laced the golden boy's voice, something that was foreign to both Jace and Clary.

"That sounds good to me." She smiled grabbing a fry from the tray between them and popped it in her mouth.

Jace let a satisfied grin go across his face as he grabbed an extra spoon and reached across the table, scooping a spoonful of ice cream out of Clary's now soggy cardboard cup.

"What do you think you're doing?" She cried jerking her cup back and cradling it protectively

"You won't share?"

"I do a lot of things Jace Wayland. But I DO NOT share ice cream. Understood?"

"Yes ma'am." He chuckled sticking the drippy spoon of melted ice cream in his mouth. There was a long pause that spread between him as Clary's sudden anger dissipated.

"So you say you do a lot of things Clary," Jace said raising his eye brow suggestively as he ran his foot up her lower leg "If you ever feel like sharing those hidden talents, let me know."

"God, you are disgusting!" The red head squealed jerking her leg away from his. Her outburst had caused a few heads to turn in their direction. Jace's laugh bellowed through the establishment. He had the kind of laugh that was infections, one full of joy that was always one hundred percent genuine. He never laughed at anything he didn't find truly funny so it was an accomplishment if he did laugh even at his own innuendo.

"You ready Clare?" He asked off handily, once their fit of laughter had ended. He cringed internally chiding himself for letting his pet name for her slip.

"Yep!" She smiled hopping up from the booth. Clary tried to ignore the butterflies that erupted in her stomach at the nickname _. "It doesn't matter Clary."_ She told herself _"He's a player that only wants one thing."_ This is what she's been telling herself for the last few weeks; every time she caught him staring at her or when her skin erupted with heat if they accidentally touched. Though this thought had seemed to be her mantra lately there was a part of her that no longer believed it. There was also a part of her that was still afraid to be hurt, that if she let Jace in like she had Sebastian that he would abandon her.

Jace led the way out of the restaurant holding the door for both Clary and an older couple that was coming in for lunch. Clary waited for him until the couple had passed. "They are so cute." She smiled as they walked towards his truck

"They sure are." He said watching Clary out of the corner of his eye. Somehow this little red headed spit fire had made his regret ever being with anyone else. He yearned to hold her hand and call her his though he knew that she needed time to heal. _"You're lucky that she agreed to go to the rodeo with you."_ Hereminded himself taking a deep breath.

"Up you go." He said smiling as he opened the door of the pickup truck for her. Quickly he closed it and walked around to the driver's door taking the time to try and clear his thoughts about Clary out of his mind. Clary's hand ached for her sketch pad and pencil as her eyes followed him to the driver's side, something that she hadn't wanted for a long time. She ached to draw how the sun caught his hair in just the right way that it turned from blonde to gold or how his biceps were just defined enough that it caused the material of his shirt to strain ever so slightly. Clary bit her lip feeling her heart contract, but in a good way, a feeling she hadn't had since she first began crushing on Sebastian.

"Clary?" Jace asked breaking Clary's thoughts

"Hmm?" she responded quickly a light blush filling her cheeks at being caught thinking about Jace by Jace. She cringed internally at how stereotypical she was becoming. She told Jace she would never fall for him or for anyone but here she was thinking about the golden boy who sat next to her.

"I asked if 5'oclock would for me to come pick you up tomorrow. It takes about an hour to get to Laytonville."

"Yeah! That sounds good." She smiled over at him as they pulled out of the parking lot. The pair spent the 10 minute ride back to Clary's house in comfortable silence, both trying to push down the same feelings.

 **A tail extension is exactly what is sounds like, just so yall know. It is like hair extensions for people except it gets braided or tied into the horse's tail to make it look longer and more full.**


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